Almond Flour and Almond Meal

Just to be very specific, Almond Flour and Almond Meal is basically the same except one has skins before being ground up and the other did not. This makes one lighter in color and the other darker, simple, right? Making both the almond flour and meal is super easy, because it’s just a matter of grinding up almonds. So if you have the time and inclination, go for it!

There’s nothing safer than preparing food yourself at home. Use a blender or food processor at home for your almond needs and you’ll never have to worry about cross contamination from a manufacturing facility. Remember not to go crazy with the grinding. If you go for those few extra whirls in the blender you’ll find yourself with an awful lot of almond butter and not a speck of almond flour.

Almond meal is best used for a dryer desired result, like for pancakes. Almond flour, in contrast, is best used for foods which need finer and moister texture such as cakes, cookies and other pastries. However, it is difficult to use almond meal for breads, at least, as the amateur I am, I find it difficult to make bread with it. Like all gluten free flours almond flour and meal works best in combination with other flours such as potato flour or rice flour. Always adding Xanthan gum, which is a sticky substance that replaces partially the gluten found in wheat flours.

So why use Almonds for this stuff?

Almond flours could be found in Europe all the way back to the Middle Ages. People in extravagant hats were using it was an alternative to wheat flour even back then. It was “rediscovered” with the increase in Celiac Diseases and has been fondly embraced by the modern baseball cap wearing age. Almonds are good for you. Period. Since both almond meal and flour are gluten free, high in protein, low in carbohydrates and also low in sugar there’s nothing to hold you back from trying them. They also have many health benefits and they include essential nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and fiber. If there ever was a superfood, this is it!

Most almond fat is unsaturated fat, a cleaner fat. Eating them regularly could help lower your cholesterol levels and heart diseases. Almonds also contain folic acid and it’s believed that this helps to lower levels of homocystein, the amino acid that is thought to contribute to the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries. They’re also easy to carry are easy to find in the store.

An added bonus is that there are studies which link almonds and other consumption of nuts with lowering the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer diseases, cancer and many more diseases. So by using almond flour and meal, you’re actually making your future healthier and so, better!

You can find both Almond Flour and Meal at your local health food store, such as Trader Joe’s, Mother’s Market or Whole Foods. If that’s not convenient enough for you, try ordering them online from one of these distributors.